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The Best of the Sunny Raw KitchenThe Best of Raw Freedom CommunityDelightfully Raw andDeliciously RawThese feature some of the most delectable creations to have come out of my raw kitchen and will appeal to anyone interested in a healthier diet, regardless of their level of knowledge and experience. From easy one-step everyday fare to more elaborate and involved gourmet dishes and layered cakes, they offer something for everyone and every occasion. Incredibly tasty smoothies, creamy and comforting warm soups, sexy salads, delicious nut cheezes, satisfying entrees and scrumptious guilt-free desserts...

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Back with you to report about Jozzie and I's kitchen fun in Medford, OR!

Last spring we spent sooooooo many hours playing with food that we very nearly exhausted ourselves. We took things a lot more easy this time around and came up with a 'brilliant' plan to focus our energy in the kitchie working on desserts and enjoy light meals of mostly raw soup and salad.

One of the first sweet treats we whipped up was the Maple Walnut Cake from my new Delightfully Raw, as Jozzie had been drooling over it ever since she saw a photo of the cake. And so it just seemed natural that we should make it to celebrate her birthday. (She keeps getting younger by the year!) ;-)

We used a slightly larger pan than the one in the book, so the cake turned out a little bigger and flatter. We figured that this would help us cut smaller pieces since it's a very rich cake.

And a little peek inside...

Jozzie told me that when she first came over to America from Poland as a little girl, her favorite treat was maple walnut ice cream. So it was no wonder then that she was intrigued by this dessert! The Maple Walnut Cake sent her straight to taste bud heaven; if only you'd have heard her moan in delight as she took her first bite! hehe

We had some Cheezecake left over from the (crazy busy) Holiday class we gave towards the beginning of our stay. A classic simple dessert, so pretty with the bright red berry sauce!

A copy of Matthew Kenney's new Everyday Raw Desserts was waiting for me at Joz's (yay!) and I could hardly wait to make some of the recipes! I know I've said it before but I'll say it again: Matthew is probably THE raw chef I admire the most. He's a true genius!

Jozzie has dozens and dozens of all kinds of extracts so I jumped on the opportunity to make his Butterscotch Pudding (topped here with a touch of Raspberry Sauce for color.)

This was super rich (and I kid you not!!!) We figured that each serving contained about 3/4 cup nuts! Eeek! We could only manage to eat a few spoonfuls, but boy was it ever delicious! Mmmmm

Of course Jozzie had a few dessert creation ideas up her sleeve for us to experiment with. We actually make a really good team; she scouts the net for interesting recipe projects and cooked dishes to transform into raw and I come up with the proportions and how to go about assembling them.

We concocted a Durian and Coconut Cream Napoleon that we thought turned out really well; thin 'phyllo' pastry layered with a Durian Mousse and a Coconut Whipped Cream. Very light and creamy and oh-so-tasty!

Durian and Coconut Cream Napoleon

'Phyllo' Pastry
We used the recipe from the Baklava on p. 60 in Matthew Kenney's Everyday Raw Desserts. It calls for cashews, macadamias, lemon juice, honey, water, vanilla, salt and flax meal.

Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy.

Place in the refrigerator to set.

Assembly
Spread a generous layer of Durian Mousse on a piece of 'Phyllo' Pastry.

Top with a second piece of pastry.

Spread a generous layer of Coconut Cream, topped with a third piece of 'Phyllo'.

Decorate with Coconut Cream and Durian Mousse and, if desired, sprinkle with a mixture of ground gogi berries and dried coconut.

Enjoy immediately.

Another brainchild of Jozzie's was a Persimmon Angel Food Cake. We used Matthew's recipe for the cake layer and as I was preparing it, it hit me how very similar it is to my Shortcake using dried coconut, almond pulp, dates, vanilla and salt. The only main difference is that he calls for coconut oil and some almond milk instead of cashews.

The Persimmon layer consists of a light Irish moss based filling with bits of dehydrated persimmons that provide a lovely burst of flavor. Yum!

Persimmon Angel Food Cake

Angel Food Cake
We used half a recipe of Matthew Kenney's Vanilla Angel Food Cake on p. 114 of Everyday Raw Desserts but you could easily use the following recipe instead:

Peel and slice the persimmons about 1/4" thick so that the central 'star' design shows.

Place on a mesh and dehydrate. (Sorry we lost track of how long it took; just bear in mind that you want them still a little moist on the inside.)

Keep refrigerated in an airtight container until ready to use.

Assembly
Spread half of the Angel Food Cake or Shortcake batter at the bottom of a 9"x9" square glass pan lined with saran wrap.

Top with Persimmon Mousse. Allow to set in the refrigerator.

When firm, top with the rest of the Cake layer.

Return to the refrigerator to set.

To serve, cut small portion, top with Coconut Cream from Durian and Coconut Cream Napoleon recipe. Finish off with a nice piece of dehydrated persimmon.

All that sweet stuff aside we did venture into the savory department a wee bit...

While we were there I received a newsletter from Living Light with the following Corn Cake recipe. Jozzie already had corn cakes on her mind so we tackled them one afternoon. Much like Cherie Soria's famous Crab Cakes, these are sooooo easy to assemble and only require a few hours of dehydration. And the Caper/Avocado topping complemented them very well. Delish!

Corn Cakes
Recipe by Cherie Soria
Posted in Living Light's December 2010 Newsletter

1. Combine corn and other ingredients, except psyllium, flax meal, and garnishes, in a mixing bowl and mix by hand.

2. Add psyllium and flax meal to the mixture and mix again, thoroughly.

3. Using a 1/4 cup measure, create small cakes, about 1 inch deep.

4. Place cakes on a dehydrator screen (no Teflex needed) in a dehydrator set at 105 degrees Fahrenheit for 1-4 hours prior to serving.

5. Remove from dehydrator just prior to serving and garnish with capers, diced avocado, and a drizzle of chili oil. Serve warm and enjoy!

Serving Suggestions: Elegant on a bed of wilted greens with sliced tomatoes and olive oil-packed capers and finely diced avocados spilling over the top. A drizzle of chili oil is optional.

Notes: Fresh corn can be frozen successfully and used in this recipe. When corn is in season, remove it from the cob and freeze it in sealed containers. Use in salads, casseroles, chips, and corn cakes.

We spent Christmas with Jozzie's family and, as you've no doubt guessed, we had to make something extra special for the occasion. We began our feast with a sparkly "champagne" made with GT's Original Kombucha, freshly squeezed orange juice and a touch of agave nectar.

The main dish was Russell James' Spinach & Wild Mushroom Quiches which both Jozzie and I had made a few times before. We dehydrated them a tad too long, though, and the filling was on the salty side.

We also served a platter with Corn Cakes and BBQ Meatballs that we had already prepared. I had made the latter into very small balls at the Holiday class, but had failed to reduce the dehydration time accordingly. As a result, like for Russell's quiches, the flavors ended up being too concentrated. This time I used a small cookie scoop, as recommended by Tina Jo, and they turned out much better; so moist on the inside and utterly delicious, especially topped with extra BBQ Sauce.

As accompaniment we served Brussels Sprouts tossed in a marinade and 'roasted' in the dehydrator. These were surprisingly good!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Adapted from a recipe posted on Body Ecology's site here

And on the sweet side we each worked on our own projects; I made Matthew's Marzipan from his new book while Jozzie prepared Heathy's raw rendition of the famous Italian Christmas fare: Zucotto. Unknowingly our choices couldn't have been more perfect as both desserts complemented each other so well. These were really amazing!

Matthew's astonishing creativity really shines through in this Marzipan recipe; the texture was very impressive. As I was making the batter I had my doubts that it would come to a consistency that would allow me to roll it later. However once chilled it was firm enough and sooooo silky smooth. Uncannily like the original marzipan! The almond extract and rose water gave it a lovely subtle flavor. Delicious!

I had a bit of difficulty in assembling the dessert as the instructions weren't correct; the recipe said to roll the batter into a 1/4" thick and 1 1/2" wide strip. In actuality the strip had to be more like 4" wide.

I was surprised by how easy it was to actually roll the Marzipan over the Raspberry Jam. I worked on a non-stick sheet and simply folded each side towards the other until they met. We only had to do a teeny bit of patching at the end in order to hide the jam.

We then rolled the log in very finely ground coconut flour which prevented it from sticking and also made it very pretty.

Tada!

Heathy's Zucotto cake recipe was phenomenal! It is very dense but the blend of chocolate and almond flavors were to live for!

An Italian classic in the raw. Walnut cake with a hint of orange is layered with crunchy almond vanilla cream, and smooth rich chocolate cream, in this elegant dessert. Serve it with orange segments, or fresh seasonal berries for an added burst of flavor and lightness.

Cake Directions
1. In a food processor, grind the almonds into a fine powder. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Grind the walnuts into crumbs. Add to the almonds.
3. Process the dates with the zest and extract until smooth. Add the nuts and process into a smooth dough.
4. Line a 1 quart mixing bowl with plastic wrap and press the dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides. Set aside.

Cacao Whipped Cream Directions
1. In a blender, combine all but the butter and oil, until smooth and creamy.
2. Add the last two ingredients and blend to incorporate.
3. Spread the mixture over the almond cream, filling the hole.

Finale
• Chill the cake in the freezer for a few hours, or in the fridge overnight, until firm.
• To unmold, invert the cake onto a plate. Remove the bowl and plastic wrap.
• Dust with cacao powder, slice, and enjoy with friends.

And on this sweet note I'll stop here for now. It's a gorgeous sunny day in snowy Mt-Shasta and we'd like to make the most of it and go for a nice walk.

Monday, December 20, 2010

At last this evening we received cases of my new Delightfully Raw, fresh off the press! Yippeeeeeeee!!! I was literally skipping all around Jozzie's house with joy! (Ask the UPS driver, he'll corroborate! hehe) I can't remember for sure, but come to think of it, the guy might have had a white beard and red clothes! *winking*

I thought I'd share this happy moment with you all and give you a sneak peek of how beautiful the book is! (Can you tell I'm a mighty proud mama?) ;-)

I'm just about finished signing all of the copies that had been pre-ordered (I had to take a short break before my hand fell off! lol) and we'll be sending them on their way tomorrow morning.

Glimpses of behind the scenes of our tiny book shipping operation...

First there's the signing...

...then adding my cards.

And Don slipping in a note pointing out a few booboos we found in the book. (Sorry, some things can't be helped no matter how hard you try!) ;-)

Nearly ready for the post office. Yay!

Now let's all cross our fingers (and toes!) that they arrive on your doorsteps in time for Christmas!

Festive Offer on the Printed Version of Delightfully Raw
Unlike my two previous recipe books,Delightfully Rawis not only available in electronic format but also in hard copy. And let me tell you, we feel it's a beauty! There truly is something different and special about holding an actual book in your hands. It is so colorful, filled with gorgeous mouthwatering pictures and 96 detailed recipes. (Find out more about Delightfully Rawhere!)

Order a single copy of my Delightfully Raw book and get 15% off!

Pay $27.15 instead of the regular $31.95. (save $4.80)

Click on the button below to take advantage of this limited time offer!

To redeem your 15% off use the code: HOLIDAYS1

Note: During the check out process, you'll be given the option to pay either with Paypal or with a credit card.

Remember that you can still take advantage of our Delightfully Raw Combo. If you would like to get uncooking right away while you wait for your copy of Delightfully Raw to arrive in the mail, you can immediately receive it in electronic format for an extra $5.00.

You will receive the download link for the Delightfully Raw ebook in your inbox as soon as your payment clears.

Pay $32.15 instead of the regular $36.95. (save $4.80)

To order the Delightfully Raw Combo just click on the link below!

To receive 15% off your hard copy use the coupon code: HOLIDAYS1

Order two copies of my Delightfully Raw book and receive 20% off!

Pay $51.12 instead of the regular $63.90 and save $12.78!

Click on the button below to take advantage of this limited time offer!

To redeem your 20% off use the coupon code: HOLIDAYS2

Rawesome Ebook Sale
From now until January 1st I'm also offering all of my recipe books in electronic formatat 25% off!

You can also purchase all three of my books in electronic format in a single package.

Pay only $26.99 instead of the regular $35.99andsave $9.00!

To order this package, simply click on the link below!

To redeem your 25% off, use the coupon code: HOLIDAYS7

IMPORTANT: If you are having any difficulty ordering or using the above coupon codes, simply make your payment via the 'Donate' button on the right sidebar of my blog. Just make sure to mention what it's for in the appropriate box. ;-)

If you would like to order a hard copy of Delightfully Raw, send me an email with your shipping address and I will get back to you with the postage costs.

Please Note:
The ebooks come in PDF format; if you don't already have 'Acrobat Reader' installed on your computer, you can download a free copy at www.adobe.com.

The downloading instructions for the ebook(s) will be sent to your inbox shortly after you've completed your payment. (If you don't receive it, you might want to make sure it hasn't been sent to your SPAM or junk folder!)

If you have any difficulty with the download(s), please don't hesitate to contact me at:

sunnyrawkitchen(at)gmail(dot)com

Wishing you all a wonderfully healthy and vibrant Holiday Season and a positive start to the new year 2011!

Saturday, December 18, 2010

I thought I'd share with y'all some of the yummies we enjoyed during the Raw Holiday and Party Nibbles class we had at Jozzie's.

I would have liked to take some photos, but we had soooo much on our plate that day that I could hardly catch my breath between each recipe!

Jozzie wanted to pass on a healthy sparkly alternative to alcoholic beverages... you know, something that you could enjoy in a fancy glass and would taste delicious. We used rejuvelac as the base, and while the flavor was really quite good the fizz disappeared during the chilling process. My personal beverage of choice would still definitely be a glass of home brewed raspberry ginger kombucha.

Put onions in food processor with 's' blade and process until pieces are small (but not mush). Put in mixing bowl with the other ingredients and mix thoroughly. Add some water if the mixture seems too dry and for easier spreading.

Smooth onto non-stick sheets about 1/4" thick and place in dehydrator at 115 degrees for 3 hours or so.

Flip onto mesh screen, turn the dial down to 110, and dehydrate for another 5 hours or longer until dry and crispy.

Score with a knife before placing in the dehydrator or break into pieces or cut with a pizza cutter once it's dry.

Store in refrigerator in an airtight container or in a double layer of Ziploc bags in the freezer.

We used my Garlic & Dill Cheeze for the Bruschetta, but for other delicious cheeze variations have a look at this post.

In high speed blender, blend the soaked cashews with probiotics and rejuvelac until smooth.

Line a sieve with a double thickness of cheesecloth and place over a bowl. Transfer the mixture to the sieve, drape the cheesecloth over the top, cover with a towel and leave in a warm place to ripen for 14-16 hours (it will take closer to 24 hours if you use water instead of rejuvelac.)

Season according to your favorite recipes.

Store in fridge in airtight container for up to one week.

Carmella's Notes:
~ For best results in terms of texture, it is key to use as little liquid as possible.

~ You could substitute the probiotics with miso; the idea is to give the culture a kick-start.

~ I once forgot to soak cashews ahead of time and simply ground them up finely in the Vitamix first. The mixture didn’t blend as easily as with soaked cashews, so I ended up using more liquid than in the original recipe.

~ If you feel this recipe yields more cheeze than you can eat in a week, simply freeze a portion of it in an airtight container, before or after it’s been seasoned.

And last but not least *wiping the sweet off her brow*, we served mini BBQ Meatless Balls (with toothpicks). These are very good, but we found Tina Jo's original recipe extremely salty. I've adjusted the amount of tamari/Nama Shoyu accordingly in the following recipe.

1. Chop mushrooms and make the Marinade for Mushrooms. Place mushrooms and marinade in a bowl and set aside while preparing other ingredients.

2. Cut and chop all your fresh ingredients for the 'meatballs.' Then place them, along with the zucchini pulp, into a large mixing bowl.

3. Add dry ingredients to same bowl.

4. Drain and rinse the nuts. Then place them into a food processor. Drain the marinade from the mushrooms and add it to the nuts that you just placed into the food processor. Process the mixture until it takes on a doughy consistency.

5. Remove the nut mixture from the processor and add it to your chopped and dry ingredients bowl.

6. Add the mushrooms to the mixture bowl and hand blend well.

7. Shape the mixture into 2 ‐ 3 inch meatballs (a small cookie scoop works well for this). Place on a dehydrator sheet and dehydrate for 2 hours at 105 degrees.

8. Prepare BBQ sauce by combining all sauce ingredients in blender. Blend until creamy and smooth.

9. Remove the meatballs from the tray and place in glass baking dish (9 X 13 works great!) Pour some of the barbecue sauce over the meatballs and cover with plastic wrap and continue to dehydrate for 4‐5 more hours.

10. The remaining BBQ sauce can be served on the side with your 'meatballs.' Sauce keeps for 5‐7 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Any remaining meatballs should be stored the same way.

On The Sweet Side
We also demoed a few desserts: the Cheesecake with Berry Sauce and the Hazelnut Truffles from my new Delightfully Raw book, as well as Snowdrop's Blonde Fruitcake, which has become a bit of a tradition for our Holidays. Joz had the cutest little brownie pans which worked perfectly for the latter. We topped the fruitcakes with a simple Coconut Frosting.

Fruits & Nuts:
Drain the dried fruits and put into the cake ‘batter’, also add the ginger citrus zest.

Set aside the nicest dozen pecan halves for the garnish and break up the rest of the nuts for the cake batter into small enough pieces. (Remember, if the nut pieces are too big the knife will have trouble slicing the cake neatly.)

Stir in the additions lightly until combined, then press into a 5-6” cake mold. (Use plastic wrap lining to make sure you can get it back out again.) For a ring, simply place a glass in the middle of the pan.

Blend ingredients in a high-speed blender. Adjust sweetener and vanilla to taste. Depending on the firmness of your coconut meat you may need to add some coconut water in order for the mixture to blend smoothly.

To Serve
Place your cake on a serving plate.

Frost with Coconut Frosting or frosting of your choice.

Decorate with Candied Nuts.

Our friend Sathya drove down from Mount Shasta to join us for that day's uncooking feast. Yay!

Showing off our funky socks.

I must say that I really went overboard with this class; it was nearly twice the number of recipes that I normally demo. Eeek! After two full days of food prep we were all exhausted and pretty much ready to go to bed by 8!

Post class 'Crashed Dodo'

Hopefully this post will have given you some more ideas as to how to wow your friends and relatives these upcoming holidays!

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